Cruiserboots   by bj max

After four and a half years of faithful service, my old Redwings were gettin' kinda' seedy so I retired them to lawn and garden duty and began searching for a new pair of boots. After reading several tests and shoot-outs, I decided that Cruiserworks Cruiserboots were worth a closer look. But they were located way down in Charlotte, NC, which left me two choices. I could either order a pair of Cruiserboots or I could wait and hook up with the Cruiserboots folks at a rally somewhere down the road. I decided to wait. Experience has taught me never to mail-order apparel of any kind. Nothing ever fits the first time around and you wind up spending a fortune in shipping charges. So I emailed Cruiserworks inquiring about their rally schedule and learned that our paths would cross at the Honda Hoot in Knoxville. At the Hoot, I located the Cruiserworks booth and learned from the fellow who waited on me that Cruiserboots are made in Canada and come in two styles, the "Classic" and the "Tour" version. The Classic has a macho look with buckles and straps and would pass as a prop from the set of "The Wild One". Their Touring boot is a streamlined version of the Classic, i.e. no buckles and straps but macho just the same. I chose the latter. Twenty minutes and $226.00 later I rode out of Chilhowee Park wearing the first pair I tried on. The Cruiserboot is an attractive and well appointed motorcycle specific boot and I liked them immediately. And there was no break-in period! Not for me anyway. Some of the features are an oil and acid resistant sole, ballistic nylon ankle armor, a styrene toebox that was originally developed for the Canadian military and they are lined with something called Dry-lex which, according to the company, is one of the most moisture wicking fabrics known to man. Cruiserboots are guaranteed to be waterproof and, as luck would have it, I got to test this feature the very next day. We had barely cleared the Gatlinburg city limits when it began to rain. A slow, steady rain that continued for the next 150 miles. The boots performed as advertised. My feet stayed warm and dry. These boots have proven to be comfortable, riding or walking, and their excellent outsole inspires confidence whether maneuvering in a gritty parking lot or navigating through stop and go traffic. But the thing that impressed me the most was the gripping power I experienced as I backpedaled a fully loaded Gold Wing and trailer out of a parking space in the rain. Their "V-Grip" sole clawed the wet pavement like a D-9 Caterpillar and never slipped. Not once. With that kind of performance plus comfort and looks too, Cruiserboots, in a word, make my feet smile.   M.M.M.